Madam, - Dick Spring's intervention into the immigration debate , like the curate's egg, is good in parts ( The Irish Times, February 12th). He is right to refer to the infrastructural challenges posed by migration, to the lack of services and to the growing crisis in schools. But parts of his reported remarks, in tone as much as in content, are exactly the kind of knee-jerk comments that we do not need. His reference to extra demands on the HSE is particularly inept, given that this body could not function for a day without the army of foreign-born staff it employs. Many of them will work hard here for many years only to see returning Irish medics, fresh from the foreign fields of America and Australia, parachute into consultancy posts for which foreign-born doctors have little chance of competing on level terms.
Enda Kenny has tried to grapple with the issue. Apart from his public speeches - one may agree or disagree with various aspects of their tone and content - he has taken the trouble to talk with people behind the scenes and to explore the issues. There are other politicians in various parties, including those in Government, who are also concerned and serious about the problem. But political leadership in general has not been sufficiently strong even though we are gradually moving towards the adoption of an integration programme. Moreover, of all the parties in the Dáil, the most uncertain and ineffective, seemingly led by the whim of whichever focus group has most recently spoken, is the Labour Party. I know there are ordinary members of that Party who are not happy with this.
I am intrigued by Mr Spring's reported statement that Enda Kenny "tried to start the debate but he got poo-poohed by the intellectuals and others". When it comes to stereotyping, it appears that cheap shots at "intellectuals" are always on the agenda here, no matter how politically correct the country may be in other ways. To work by thinking is no more and no less honourable than any other profession; it is a pity that some politicians do not put their own intellectual equipment in gear before opening their mouths.
Those politicians who have taken the trouble to inform themselves on immigration and integration issues will find a substantial and growing body of serious and thoughtful research by academics, NGO workers (both religious and secular), and migrants themselves; yes, they can speak too. These are not wild-eyed anarchists bent on destroying the State and Irish political life as we know it. Their critical but constructive stance is an essential component in building a partnership between all elements of civil society as we address the needs of a new Irish society. - Yours, etc,
PIARAS MAC ÉINRI, Department of Geography, University College Cork.